skainsmate

Meaning

Noun

• A messmate; a companion.
• A prostitute.

Origin

• Etymology and meaning uncertain. Possibly from skean or skein + -s- + mate.
• Sword could imply a companion in arms or a cutthroat; or it may be a euphemism for penis and hence a sexual companion.
• Thread could also mean either a companion in winding thread, possibly a sailor or seamstress, or a sexual metaphor equating sewing with sexual intercourse.
• flirt-gill in the same passage suggests a sexual interpretation.